Materials can be divided into five parts according to the place where it is planned to be used. They can be arranged in order as
1.Constructional materials
(bamboo, basketwork, chipboard and plywood, metals and alloys, plastics, rubber and wood)
2.Sheet materials
(fur, leather, paper and board, plastics, rubber, textiles),
3. Coatings
(enamel, metal plating, paint and varnish, plastics, rubber)
4.Fillings and padding materials
feathers, foamed plastics, hair, straw, natural wadding, man-made wadding)
5.Supplementary materials
(bristles, cord, string and rope) (ISO / IEC Guide 50: 2002).
Wood is the most favored material for furniture construction. As a general principle, slower growing timber is better than fast growing, and for the timber ranges, those whose logs are closed and have evenly spaced annual growth rings. Wide growth rings indicate fast growing timber, which is less durable. Woods can be either hardwood (from deciduous trees) or softwood (from conifers).
The two groups differ in cell structure, appearance, and general properties. Common hardwoods used for furniture include oak, ash, beech, birch, maple, cherry, and walnut.
Hardwoods make precise joints, hold fasteners better, are more resilient to wear than softwoods. Common softwoods are pine, fir, cedar, hemlock, linden used primarily in unfinished furniture. Several layers of wood are arranged with lengthwise grain in alternate directions to form plywood. All layers are glued together with synthetic resin 7.1.Types of Materials
Chapter - 07- Material Analysis for Furniture
Wood products can be finished in three ways. First finishing method is painting and varnishing. Special attention should be paid to the quality of the paints and varnishes that are used for children’s furniture. Second one is the veneer, as a thin slice of wood, it should not be used in moisture environments.
Third one is the plastic laminate which is combined of thin layers of paper coated with melamine, impregnated in synthetic binder and binded together. Particular attention should be given to the preservatives used, their type, toxicity, and flammability. They should conform the standards of the European Union or an equivalent country
The other material besides the wood is metal. Metal structures are avoided for safety reasons in children bedroom environment. The use of metal is restricted to some minimum structural elements or details of finishes in low risk zones, such as the legs of the bed and hinges of the storage units’ doors. Metal parts need to be checked for sturdiness. The surface areas should be polished smooth and be free of any sharp burrs or bits of metal (Kayasü, 1998).
Plastics are one of the synthetic materials used in the children furniture. They are sturdy, durable, light in weight, interesting in texture and can be in many colors. On the other hand, they are very flammable and not very good for hygiene since in time dirt gets into their body (Robertson, 1990). Many types of forms and textures can be given to plastics with different manufacturing techniques used specially for plastic production.
As the last one, textiles are used in the manufacture of children bedroom furniture. The basic requirements for the various fabrics that are selected differ, because each one will be used under a different set of conditions. Therefore, it is important to know how a fabric will be used in order to select one that has the most appropriate properties.
7.2.Material Comparisons
Chapter - 07- Material Analysis for Furniture
The textiles can be distinguished among four areas: fibers (like cotton, silk and wood), construction methods (like weaving and knitting), the application of colors and patterns (like dyeing and printing) and finishes (waterproofing, shrink resistant and flame retardant). Since the users are the children, they should be durable to washing and fading.
Shrinkage percentage should be in minimum level (Stepat-De Van, 1980).
Furthermore, for all of the material quality, ISO Standards states that all material used for children’s furniture shall be visually clean and free from infestation. The materials shall be assessed visually by the unaided eye rather than under magnification (ISO 8124-1:2000).
Fig. 3.0 - Wood & Steel as material
8. 3D Modelling
8.1. Concept Modelling
Modelling &, which enables designers to reflect on their design activities and explore the design space, while taking into consideration aesthetic, ergonomic, market and production issues. In other words, modelmaking and prototyping is a way for designers to explore form, composition and functionality from idea to detail design.
Models and prototypes can be described as a “designer’s multi-dimensional expres- sion.” This means that designers can use models and prototypes to express their ideas in accurate and precise manners to others. (Kojima, 1991). Similarly as “a picture tells a thousand words”, “prototypes are worth a thousand pictures”. (Kelly, 2001). Kelly also mentions in his research that prototypes are wonderful tools for understanding tangibility.
First visualtion of the one of the concepts
Model 01 - Wood Material
Fig. 3.1 - Wood Model 01
Chapter - 08 - Modelling & Prototype
Model 02 - Wood Material
Model 01 - Plastic Material
Model 02 - Wood Material
Fig. 3.2 - Wood Model 02
Fig. 3.3 - Plastic Model 02
Fig. 3.4 - Plastic Model 01
Chapter - 08 - Modelling & Prototype
8.2. Solidwork As Modelling tool
The SOLIDWORKS® CAD software is a mechanical design automation application that lets designers quickly sketch out ideas, experiment with features and dimensions, and produce models and detailed drawings.
SOLIDWORKS Industrial Designer is a concept design tool for quickly generating multiple industrial design concepts with unique tools for creating, manipulating, and modifying designs using native and imported geometry.
It provides all of the capabilities of other sketching and surfacing packages without their limitations. The software has allowed us to cut design time by 60 percent, which gives us time to create more concepts
Fig. 3.5 - Solidworks Interface
9.1. Furniture Calculations